Quick-acting wrench



May 22, 1923. 1;456,208 C. J ARMSTRONG QUICK ACTING WRENCH Filed June 1922 Charles J Armstrong INVENTOR lllilifllll WITNESSES Patented May 22, 1923.

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' insane QUiCK-ACTING WRENCH.

Application filed June 5, 1922. Serial No; 565,792.

Quick-Acting Wrench, of which the follow 1 ing-is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches. f

The object is to provide a wrench, either a nut or pipe wrench wherein, by the simple movement of an element, the movable jaw may be either locked into any desired spaced relation to the fixed jaw for operation in turning a nut, or pipe, or by a reverse movement of said element, the movable jaw may be free to be adjusted to any other desired position with relation to the fixed rigid jaw.

Another object is to provide a wrench having the ordinary size and proportions, the improvements adding no material weight thereto, and being wholly incorporated in the movable aw, thus enabling the wrench to be manufactured at a low cost, and to be easily handled and quickly adjusted to fit any size nut. 1

A further object is to provide a wrench having adjusting and holding means for the movable aw which automatically looks into position for holding the parts, which is entirely devoid of springs, and which holds all the more positively and surely when the strain is increased on the coacting jaws, as when turning a nut or bolt head,etc.

' A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification it being" understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention,.the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salientfeatu'res of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved wrench, the movable jaw being locked in adjusted, spaced relation to the rigid jaw.

Fig. 2-is an elevation, partly in section, the handle being. brokenaway, and the movable jaw unlocked and free to be adjusted to any desired fixed jaw. Y I Fig. 3 is a front elevationof the upper portion of the wrench, the handle being omitted.

position, with relation to the Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken 1 f on the line 4-4 ,of Fig.1. ,t I

In the drawing, there is illustrated a wrench having a shank 1 provided, throughout, the major portionof its length, with rack teeth .2, and having, at one end, a fixed jaw 3 with its overhanging end'arranged on the side havingthe teeth, and provided, at

its opposite end, with a handle iformed and attached to the shank in the usual manner,

.all of which is in-accordance with-the construction of ordinary wrenches of this class.

Mounted on the shank 1 of the wrench,

and adapted @to be moved longitudinally thereof, is a slidable jaw 5 provided intermediate its length with apair of arms 6 eX- tending toward; the handle and defining a space or cavity 7 therebetween. To the jaw 5 and to the outer ends of the arms 6, rearwardly-extending straps 8 are integrally connected, andare joined at their rear ends.

(to provide continuations flush with the sur.

face thereof, and inlike manner ,the upper end of the space or cavity 7 is hollowed out or rounded up into the body of the movable jaw, as indicated at 12 in the drawing.

. Each arm 6 is further. provided in its lower portion with alined slots 13 arranged substantially alongv the longitudinal center lines of the arms, the lower ends'of the slots ,nally along the shank in either direction to i being slightly below the upper edges of the I straps 8, and preferably rounded at boththeupper and lower ends. v

Agear wheel 14 is located in the upper end of the space or cavity 7 and conforms to and freely turnsin the rounded upper end 12 ofthe same, the shaft 15 of said wheel traversing suitable alinedopenings formed in the arms 6 substantially in aline withthe lower side ofxthe; movable jaw. This gear wheel is constantly in mesh with the teeth wrench, and the ends of the shaft 15 extend beyond the sides of the arms 6 by which the same is carried, the said wheel being loosely mounted on the shaft and free to turn independently thereof.

A locking gear wheel 16 is slidably mounted in the lower portion of the space or cavity 7,.said wheel beingof the same diameter as the wheel 14, and constantly in mesh with the teeth of the, rack 2, the width of both wheels being such as to fill the space between the arms 6 and to freely turn or slide therein. The trunnions 17 of the wheel 16 extend through the alined slots 13 and turn with the wheel, the same being free to slide upwardly or downwardly in the slots to bring the lower wheel 16 into mesh with the upper wheel 14, or to disengage the same, for a purpose to be explained.

' An operating yoke, preferably formed of strong, sheet metal, is adapted to be mounted on the movable jaw in a manner to engage the slidable lower wheel 16, and to force the latter into meshing relation with the upper wheel 14:, or to forcibly lower the same out of engagement therewith. This yoke comprises side plates 18 spaced apart a distance to receive the arms 6 therebetween, and to straddle the said arms and frictionally engage the same throughout their lengths, the upper ends of said plates being rounded to conform to the arcuate cut-out portion 11 of the movable jaw, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The lower ends of the plates 18, which are substantially equal in width to the width of the downwardly extending arms 6, are joined by across plate 19 of equal width therewith, and adapted, when the sides 18 are in'vertical position. and parallel to the shank of the wrench, to lie close to the lower ends of said arms, there being just suflicient space to allow the cross plate 19 to pass the outer corner of the same when the yoke is swung outwardly about its pivotal point on the shaft 15 at the upper end of the plates 18,

as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The bottom cross-plate 19 is extended forwardly and formed into a downwardlyturned thumb piece 20, which is used to facilitate pressing the yoke inwardly or outwardly with relation to the shank of the wrench. and the yoke is so constructed as to be readily formed fronrone piece of sheet metal suitably cut and bent into the shape shown and described.

Intermediate the ends of the side plates 18 and arranged transversely thereof, are inclined cam-slots 21, the lower ends of which are located adjacent to the rear edges of the plates 18., and the upper ends close to the outer edges of the plates, and these inclined cam-slots are of sufiicient width to receive the projecting ends of the trunnions 17 which are adapted to freely slide along the inclined slots, the outer or upper ends I lVhen it is desired to set the jaws of the I wrench in proper relative position to receive and operate on a particular size of nut or bolt head,the thumbpiece 20 is grasped and the .yoke swung outwardly. In doing so, the inner end 22 of the seat22, where joining to the loweredge of the inclined slot 21,

is forced past the lowest point of the trunnions, which latter then enter the downwardly extending, inclined slots and freely drop to the bottom thereof, as the yoke is swung outwardly about its pivots 15 and consequently the lower locking wheel 16'is lowered away from and out of mesh with the upper wheel 14,. and the entire lowerjaw, together with its component parts, may be raised or lowered along, the shank of the wrench to the desired position, as will be readily understood. During this movement a of the lower jaw, when the wheels are thus separated, it will be seen that the latter do T not interfere with each other, but are free to revolve independently, as both wheels are I at all times in meshing relation to the rack 2 of the shank, the vertical slots 13 of the arms 6 permitting the lower wheel to rise or fall, but maintaining the said wheel in meshing relation to the said rack. By pressingv inwardly on the yoke to substantially a line the side plates thereof with the longitudinal axis of the shank of the wrench, the trunnions 17 are forced to travel outwardly along the inclined slots 21, and are consequently forced upwardly to bring the lower wheel 16 into meshing relation with the upper wheel 14. The said trunnions are then forced over the points 22", which latter are closer to the axis of rotation of the yoke about its pivots 15 than the seat or any portion of thelower edge of the slot, and the trunnions are snapped into the seats 22, which thus serve to automatically lock the yoke in'its inward position with the two wheels meshing, and, by reason of their toothed engagement with the rack, effectively preventing any movement of the lower jaw along the said shank. Any strain brought to bear on the jaws. when thus locked, to tend to cause an opening or a separation of the same. will exert a pressure I on the two wheels in the'same rotary direction. thus, at their meshing point, the wheels wouldbe endeavoring to move in opposite directions which is impossible by reason of their toothed engagement, as will be readily understood. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply manufactured and easily operated wrench has been provided, having no complicated parts to get out of order, and that the improvements may be installed on wrenches of ordinary construction without very material changes therein, and without adding any considerable weight to the same, the yoke and the wheels being the only additional parts. Any strain to which the jaws are subjected only serves to cause the trunnions of the lower, or locking wheel, to hold all the tighter in the arcuate seats 22, and to prevent the separation of said wheels, or any outward movement of the yoke, and it is necessary to manually swing the latter before said wheels may be separated and the lower jaw moved.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A wrench comprising a shank provided with a rack, a fixed jaw at one end of the shank, a handle at the other end, a movable jaw on the shank, a pair of toothed wheels in engagement with the rack and having trunnions supported by the movable jaw, a yoke pivoted on the trunnions of one of the wheels, and having slots receiving the trunnions of the other wheel, the slots being inclined and serving in conjunction with said other wheel to lock the yoke in its closed position.

2. In a wrench, the combination with a toothed shank having a fixed jaw at one end and a handle at the other, of a slidable jaw on the shank, a pair of gear wheels mounted in-the slidable jaw and always inhaving trunnions supported by the movable jaw one wheel being movable toward or from the other wheel, and a yoke pivotally mounted on the slidable jaw and having inclined cam-slots for receiving the trunnions of the movable gear wheel to move the latter into or out of meshing engagement with the other wheel, when the said yoke is swung about its pivots.

&. A wrench having a shank provided with a rack along one side and carrying a rigid jaw, a longitudinally-slidable jaw having a passageway receiving the shank and having a cavlty communicating with the passageway for the shank, a gear Wheel in the cavity meshing with the rack and having trunnions journaled in the side walls defining the cavity, said side walls also being provided with alined, longitudinallydisposedslots, a longitudinally-movable gear wheel also'meshing with the rack. and

having trunnions extending through the rigid jaw and a longitudinal rack, a 00- acting movable jaw slidably mounted on the shank and provided with a 'long itudinally-disposed cavity, a gear wheel having trunnions mounted for rotation. in the side walls of the cavity near the end thereof and meshing with the rack, the walls of the cavity having longitudinal, alined slots near the end remote from said wheel, a

yoke having spaced sides pivotally mounted at their free ends to the trunnions of the wheel and straddling the sides of the mo-vable jaw, said spaced sides of the yoke belng joined at their other ends by a cross movable jaw remote from the rigid jaw when the yoke is swung into parallelism with the shank, said cross plate carrying a thumb-piece on the edge opposite theshank, said sides of the yoke having inclined cam slots, the outer ends of the slots remote from the shank being closer to the yoke pivots than the inner ends and having depressions at the outer terminals adapted to register with the longitudinal 7 plate adapted to lie close to the end of the slots of the movable jaw when the yoke is pressed inwardly against the shank, and a movable gear wheel mounted in the cavity and meshing with the rack, andhaving trunnions traversing the opposite pairs of alined slots whereby, when the yoke is swung inwardly, the wheels are caused to mesh with each other and the trunnions to rest in said depressions to lock the movable jaw against movement, and when the yoke is swung outwardly the wheels are separated to permit movement of said movable jaw. 7

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have he-reto aiiixed my signature.

CHARLES JOHN ARMSTRONG. 

